Indicating and registering device



Oct' 7 l E. -H. KINNARD INDICATING AND REGISTERING DEVICE APPLICABLE TO POSTAL FRANKING MACHINES Filed June 25 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l Am x mmm'.

Oct. 7 1924. 1,510,622

E. H. KINNARD INDICATING AND REGISTERING DEVICE APPLICABLE TO POSTAL F'RANKING MACHINES Filed June 25 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 E. H. KINNARD INDICATING AND RBGISTERING DEVICE APPLICABLE T0v POSTAL FRANKING MACHINES Filed June 25 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD vHENRY KINNARD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL POSTAL i FRANKERS LIMITED, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY.

INDICATING AND REGISTERING DEVICE APPLICABLE To PosTAL-rnANKING MACHINES.

Application filed .Tune 25, 1924. Serial No. 722,335.

T0 all whom t may conce/m.:

Be it known that I, EDWARD HENRY KIN- NARD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Morning Post Building, 346 Strand, London, W. C. 2, England, have invented an Improved Indicating and Registering Device Applicable to Postal-Franking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to postal franking machines, and has for its object to provide an improved detachable meter therefor.

It has been proposed heretofore in a Inail marking machine containing a single stamp impressing die to make the meter and stamp removable as a unit. With this arrangement the meter could be taken to the post office for setting by the postal authority without moving the machine; but when it was desired to change the value of the stamps impressed, a new meter unit having a stamp impressing die of the required value had to be substituted for that already in the machine.

According to the present invention a meter is provided which is detachable from theA machine independently of the stamp drum or any other part of the machine, means being provided for locking the machine against operation when the meter is removed. The meter is intended for use with a postal franking machine of the kind in which any one` of a number' of stamp impressing dies can be brought selectively into operative position, and is adapted to be driven proportionately to the value of the stamps impressed through any usual or preferred mechanism which may form part of the postal franking machine. r1`he meter is preferably so constructed that zeroizing of the indicating mechanism causes the machine to be rendered inoperative until the meter is reset to a prepaid amount, as is usual in machines of the kind referred to. The meter may also be arranged so that a member, which is actuated upon zeroizing of the meter to render the machine inoperative, also releases means for locking the machine whenever the meter is withdrawn. The meter may comprise two groups of dials, one group being visible to the operator and indicating the total value of stamps impressed by the machine up to any given time whilst the other group after setting to a prepaid amount is enclosed by a sealed cover and is Zeroized by operation of the machine.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example a meter constructed according to the invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation,

Figure 2 is a sectional plan taken on the line D-D of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line E-E of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure i is a rear elevation of the meter with the sealing cover removed,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the locking bar which is released for operation when the meter is Zeroized,

Figure 6 shows details of the various elements mounted on one of the meter spindles,

Figure 7 is al detail view on an enlarged scale of one of the clutches by meansl of which the pointers of the zeroizing dials are secured to their spindles,

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line F-F of Figure 2, and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 8.

The meter is contained in a casing 102 adapted to be secured in an opening formed in the casing of the machine with which it is to be used, the machine being so arranged that operation of its stamp impressing mechanism causes rotation of a shaft 107 forming a permanent part of the machine, the extent of such rotation or partial rotation of the shaft being proportional to the value of the stamp impressed. The outer end of the shaft 107 carries a ratchet clutch member 109 adapted when the meter is positioned for operation by the machine to engage a second ratchet clutch member 110 which is incorporate in and removable with the meter. Vhen the meter is in operative position the members 109 and 110 are urged into positive engagement by a spring 111 (Figure 2) coiled round the hub of clutch member 110 which is mounted on a spindle 112 to which a spur wheel 113 isE also fixed.`

The clutch member 110 is limited in its travel by a pin 114 carried by the spindle 112 and passing through a slot 115 in the ,notched discs 170, 170, 17?, *"8

hars oil the said clutch member. The latter is also provided with holes 116 which, when the meter is Withdrawn from the machine, register ivith pins 117v carried in a lined ring 118 secured to the top cover plate 119 to prevent rotation ot the spindle 112. The spulI wheel 118 meshes with another Wheel 120 which actuates a zeroizing train hereinafter described having the same diameter and number olf teeth and which rotates with a pence dial 121, the tivo being coaxially mounted on spindle 112, one numeral only ot the pence dial heing visihle at any time to the operator through a Winden7 358 in a meshing plate lilonnt-ed concentrically with the Wheel 1121 is a notched cam 12e. 6) having a pin 1251 projecting lat therefrom. r1` his pin engages once in elution with a ratchet toothed wheel :tast on a spindle 127 which also carries dial plate 128 which indicates unit shilliir i, a notched disc 129 ivnich engages the periph ery o1 the notched 1211A, and f-am 180 which has a pin 131 project-ing laterally therefrom. rllhc spindle 1.2iY in horizontal alignment with 'four other spindles 182 188, 18st and 135 adapted to actnate respectively dial plates 188, 187.. and 189, which rive indications respectively n tens or shillings, unit pounds, groups ot :11000. and groups o1 100.00. The masking plate 123 is provided with further apertures 11 1111 1112, 1418 and 114i, the lirst tivo combining to l indications in shillings and 1112, and 114i allowing` one numeral at a time on each ot dials 137, 1338 and 139 to he `visihle.

Spindler; 182-185 are provided with notched. discs lil- 1410, 11i" and s, with ratchet'ivheels A: 150. 1511 and 1:12 whilst spindles 132, carry respectively 9 i anc. 1811- d 5 f cams an 151 each provided 'with pins 156, T and 1o8. Each pin once in a revolution moves the toothed wheel on the next succeeding spint one tooth, the spind seing norm inoperative owing to the circolaL orq the peripheries off cams 124-, 180, 1

n rough reel, 11i-i" 1118 movement any sjiindle being possible only When the notch in the cam of' the preceding spindle coincides with the peal; hetween tivo notches cit the disc with which it is in engagement.

'1l he spurl Wheel 120 mounted on spindle- 159 which with spindles 180, 01, 102, 163 and 101 carry the Zeroizing tram. rShe spindles are geared to'ether in manner similar to theftotalizi n mechanism ahove described, the spindles carrying i'iotched cams 105. 100, 107, 108 and 109, ratchet` Wheels 170, 171, 172, 173 and 171 and i and 179. TPigure i) are Spindles 162, 163and 101 t remesa 1y pointers 192, 198 and 191 and handles 195. 190 and 197 4tor manual adjusti t. :terahly the clutch members 180- are .termed with a circular ring o1' holes ten in numher adapt-ed to register 'with ltivo pins termed on each of the clutch members 1 o5 so that ten relative positions ot each pair ot' clutch members can he ohtained. hy withdrawing any one the handles 195 A191' against the action ot springs 1864188 and imparting a 'partial rotation to the handles. The pointers 192-191- indicate ahore dial plates 198, 199 and 200y andare .set hy postal authority to denote the total amount or stamps tor which prepa'ym il has heen made tor the machine to impress. lluring the operation. of the machine the Wheel 120 will rotate in the reverse direction to the Wheel 113 and thus theV pointers M2-19% will gradualljif approach their Zero position as the totalizing mechanism approaches the total amount to which the pointers were originally set. rEhe Zeroizing train may also operate mechanism to render the machine inoperative When the pointer which indicatec the maximum amount vfor which the meter had been set reaches its aero position. The ina-chine may he rendered inopeative hy mechanical locking devices or hy electrical means which are actuated when the meter zeroiiied ily mechanism ncrv `to he described.

The spindles 1459-104; carry cams 201, 202, 203, 201, 205 and 200 which engagethe ends ot plungers 207, 208, 209, 210, 211 and 212 slidahly mounted in bosses 218 in the meter rameworlr, these plungers engaging at their opposite ends with plungers 211, 215, 216, 211", 218 and 219 slidahly mounted in sockets in a har 220 (Figures 2 and 5) and nrmally urged hy springs 221 into the sockets of plungers 207.212 to lock the har 220 to the framework. The plungers 207-212 are slightly smaller in diameter rthan the sockets in which they slide softhat When the pealr ot cam 201 has caused plunger 214 to he cleared from the socket thehar 220 can move slightly towards the lett (Fig nre under the influence of a spring 222 which engages its end. rlfheplunger 2,1/1 is therefore moved slightly out of `alignmentivith. the socket and cannot re-enter the same nntil the meter is re-set. The action `o1E cams 202-5 is similar to =that ot the cam 201 above described Whilst the peak of cam 206 will not become operative in respect of plunger 219 until the machine has been utilized to impress stamps to the'total value for which the meter was initially set. When this total is reached the pointers 192, 193 and 194 are all at their zero positions whilst the dials 137, 138 and 139 will indicate the total value of stamps impressed. When this position is reached the bar 220 will be completely freed and the spring 222 will move the bar sharply towards the left (Figure 2) removing ay stop 223 carried at its end from engagement with a lug 224 (Figures 2, 8 and 9) formed on the end of a lock barrel 225 a stem 226 onthe outer end of which engages the mechanism which caused the machine to be rendered inoperative when the meter is zeroized. When ythe stop .223 isk removed from engagement with the lug 224 a spring 227 which is normally in a state of compression forces the lock barrel 225 and stem 226 inwardly towards the meter thereby releasing the locking mechanism and renderin the machine inoperative.

The inner ace of the meter has a cover 228 which conceals the dials 198, 199 and 200, such cover being secured in place by nuts 229 threaded onto studs 230 secured in the main frame of the meter. The bar 220 also carries a pin 231 for manual operation also enclosed by the cover 228. The meter is secured into the casing of the machine by means of milled nuts.

The stem 226, may, for example, be arranged so as normally to close electrical contacts. It is to be understood that to adapt the meter above described to currencies other than sterling it is necessary only to f alter the markings on the dials and the numity) is inserted in the lock barrel 225' and enables when turned the lug 224 to be removed rom the path of the stop 223 on the bar 220 which is thereby freed to be moved as above described, the lug 224 thereafter being engaged by the stop 223 to hold the stem 226 in its outermost position. The meter is set to the prepaid amount by pull` ing out any or all of the handles 195-197 to open the clutches 180-183, 181-184 and 182-185 so that by subsequent rotary movement of the handles t-he pointers 192-194 can be set to the desired positions, the springs 186-188 thereafter causing re-engagement of the clutches so that opera-tion of the elements mounted on the spindles y159-164 will cause the pointers gradually to return to Zero position.

I claim 1. In a postal franking machine a meter detachable from the machine independently of the stamp drum or any other part of the machine, means being provided for locking the machine against operation when the meter is removed and including a slidable locking member normally restrained by a number of devices adapted to be retracted successively by the operation of the meter.

2. In a postal franking machine a meter detachable from the machine independently of the stamp drum or any other part of the machine, means being provided for locking the machine against operation when the meter is removed and including a slidable locking member normally restrained by a number of devices adapted to ybe retracted successively by the operation of the meter, and a member to maintain lthe machine operative, and normally held in operative position by said slidable rocking bar and arranged to be removed from operative position so that the machine becomes locked against operation when the meter is zeroized or withdrawn from the machine.

In witness whereoi I aliiX my signature.

EDWARD HENRY KINNARD. 

